FAMILY MEMBERS PERCEPTION OF THE QUALITY OF NURSING-HOME CARE

This study investigated the extent to which factors not directly related to the caregiving situation predicted family members' perceptions of the quality of nursing home care their elderly relative received. A conceptual model based on consumer satisfaction theory was used to test the extent to which factors associated with family members' expectations for care and their emotional response to the nursing home placement predicted perceptions of quality among 452 relatives representing the residents of two skilled care facilities. The entire model accounted for 27% of the variation in quality assessments. Attitudes towards nursing homes in general, length of resident stay and emotional responses to the placement (concern about the race/ethnicity of caregivers, caregiver burden and caregiver emotional distress) were found to be significant predictors of perceptions of quality.